Fort White – To Operate Or Not To Operate – That Is the Question – The Future of Fort White Hangs In the Balance – Decision on Monday
March 14,
2026 11:45 am | 7 min read
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in a minute
FORT WHITE, FL – Wednesday’s (March 11) “water system operation transition” plan workshop got off to a good start with Utility Engineer Mike New of Woodard & Curran making a presentation to transition the Fort White Water Plant back into operation, control, and provide water to the residents of Fort White. This was the purpose of the workshop.
Fort White Mayor George Thomas installed himself on the evening’s agenda and presented a rehash of his July 2025 presentation. The Mayor’s presentation was undated, not updated, without page numbers, and at times, it confused him.
Not on the agenda was the North Florida Water Utility Authority (NFWUA). Its executive director hijacked the meeting, handing out a last-minute presentation that the Town had not been provided beforehand, leaving everyone in the dark.
The NFWUA, along with the Fort White Mayor, doesn’t believe in numbering pages. Without the Authority’s presentation being projected and without page numbers, it was “Good Night Irene” for anyone trying to take notes or follow along.
Read a little bit more about Woodard & Curran's CEO and Chair of the Board, Alyson Watson.
What is going on?
The Town of Fort White is currently constructing a wastewater system funded by grants. A debate has emerged regarding the town's potable water source (drinking water). Engineer Mike New recommends the town refurbish its existing water plant (adding specific filters) rather than purchasing bulk water from the Ellisville plant via the NFWUA. He argues that the town's water treatment plan is superior and that piping water eleven miles from Ellisville will cause water quality issues due to "residence time" in the pipes.
Columbia County, which had operated the Town’s water system before handing it over to the NFWUA, fell behind on maintenance and needs to bring the filters up to date.
District 2 Commissioner Rocky Ford is pushing for the
Town to go with the NFWUA, which is most of the
Authority customers.
County Commissioner Rocky Ford argued that the local water has historically been poor ("tea-colored") and advocated for a partnership with the NFWUA. The Mayor’s dated presentation presented financial figures suggesting the town might operate at a deficit without the water revenue to subsidize the new sewer system.
Water Quality
Mike New presented a significant technical argument against buying water from the Authority (Ellisville). He explained that the pipeline from Ellisville to Fort White is twelve inches in diameter and runs for eleven miles. Given the current usage of 80,000 gallons per day, water would remain in the pipe for about four days before reaching a tap, indicating a slow turnover rate.
Mr. New explained that extended residence time, meaning water spends more time in the pipe, can reduce chlorine levels and lead to the formation of disinfection byproducts, which are chemicals that may cause cancer.
Commissioner Ford argued that for 40 years, Fort White residents have dealt with "hot mud" and stained fixtures, implying that the water utility authority's water would be an improvement regardless of the engineering concerns.
Wastewater: something else with issues
Fort White has secured nearly $22 million across phases for a new wastewater plant serving ~100 initial customers, with plans for expansion. Key next steps include impact fee studies, monthly rate development, operator solicitation, and mandatory hookup ordinances.
Beset by troubles, the wastewater system, engineered and managed by North Florida Professional Services, is way behind schedule. So far, there are only two sticks in the ground, while FLDEP is calling on the Town to provide all billing for the project by the end of September.
A mandatory hookup ordinance is required by DEP as a condition of the $12 million grant, yet the town has not enacted one. Multiple speakers stressed the urgency.
Jody DuPree
County Commission Candidate Jody DuPree (Fort White is in his district) criticized the town council for indecision and warned that DEP would eventually force Columbia County to take over the system if Fort White fails to comply — and the county would recoup costs through enacting a special taxing district (MSBU/MSTU) on the town. Mr. DuPree said,
"If you let politics play a role in how you do this utility, you will fail, and you will destroy this city."
Mayor Thomas added that even without the ordinance, state law requires hookup once a septic system fails. Councilman Lonnie Harrell added that residents must hook up within one year of sewer availability.
Mike New urged the town to commission an impact fee study and begin developing monthly wastewater rates over the summer to allow for public input before the January go-live. He emphasized that because the system launches debt-free, it is economically viable — but only if the town moves quickly to add customers and properly fund depreciation reserves.
Public concerns focused on affordability and misinformation about hookups.
The North Florida Water Utility Authority: a few words
NFWUA Executive Director Shannon Roberts. A nice man,
but without utility experience.
The NFWUA (a joint effort between Suwannee and Columbia Counties) is widely regarded as a joke. A look at its customer base is eye-opening. At its last meeting, Executive Director Shannon Roberts did not want to reveal the number of Authority customers to your reporter or anybody else, asking, "Is this a question and answer session."
A little arm-twisting and an embarrassed board, which also didn’t know how many customers there were, finally shook out the details. Suwannee County has 20 paying customers; Columbia has 359. Of those 359 Columbia accounts, approximately 20 are in Ellisville, leaving about 339 in Fort White, which, it turns out, generates most of the Authority's revenue. So much revenue, in fact, that the Utility Authority has a pro forma proposal in the background that pays Fort White $25k a year to provide service. Columbia County Commissioner Tim Murphy, a member of the NFWUA, has made it clear that, “As long as Tim Murphy walks the face of the earth, that is not going to happen.”
Important quotes from the meeting
Mike New:
Recommending an impact fee study to fund expansions without burdening existing users.
"Impact fees protect your rate payers. Impact fees pay for the capacity that people new to town, or businesses new to town, take up of that wastewater plant... that's everybody paying their fair share.” – Mike New
Stressing reserves for long-term sustainability.
"You need a mandatory connection policy. You need to direct your operators... that we are going to fund depreciation. I will guarantee you that every one of you believes that if you buy a new car, we need to be setting aside enough money to repair it on that rainy day." – Mike New
Praising Fort White's local water treatment vs. Ellisville's.
"Out of six recommendations [to reduce disinfection byproducts], y'all are doing five. I thought, man, congratulations to you for that." – Mike New
Warning on pipeline transit risks.
"The water that goes into that pipe in Ellisville... is going to be four days before it ever sees daylight again, and during that time... disinfection byproduct concentrations are likely to increase." – Mike New
Advocating mandatory water connections for equity.
"If the town of Fort White is making a big investment in a water system... then everybody should pay a fair share." – Mike New
Advising retention of ownership.
"Do not transfer your utilities away without great consultation... There are a lot of utilities that got out of the utility business... and regret it." – Mike New
Former Commissioner Jody DuPree:
Urging transparency and enforcement.
"If you let politics play a role in how you do this utility, you will fail, and you will destroy this city. The people in Fort White... are entitled to know exactly how you plan on making this work." – Jody DuPree
Mayor Thomas:
Highlighting the financial difficulty of running the sewer plant without water revenue.
"You can't subsidize the entire system just off 100 paying customers... the water plant, because the excess revenues from the water plant would help to offset the losses from the wastewater plant." – George Thomas
On not being notified of the water source switch from the Town’s water supply to Ellisville by the NFWUA.
"We have our own utility, and we don't even know what may or may not be going on."– George Thomas
Commissioner Rocky Ford:
Advocating for county partnership.
"Let's move forward as a team... You're a lot stronger as a team than you are individually." – Rocky Ford
Epilogue: Town Councilwoman Monica Merrick gets the last word
Monica
Merricks: Town Councilwoman, arguing against ceding
operations.
"Utilities are often described as the most powerful economic tool a city can control... if we give our utilities away, we're going to give our town away."
Ms. Merricks' asked that the Council's decision be put on the agenda for Monday's meeting.